Despite the government’s recent declarations of a renewed crackdown on illegal mining, or “galamsey,” in response to public outcry, the Wassa Amenfi areas of the Western Region continue to see rampant illegal mining operations.
Channel TV News’ Western Regional Correspondent, Akwasi Agyei Annim, reports that galamsey activities persist openly in parts of the Western Region, seemingly unchecked by local officials, security agencies, and regulatory bodies.
Illegal mining is visible along the Amenfi East to Amenfi Central highway, where miners operate undeterred on either side of the road. This occurs despite regular travel by local police, the District Chief Executive, and Minerals Commission officials who are expected to support the anti-galamsey efforts.
In Nyamebekyere, a cocoa farm has been severely damaged, replaced by open mining pits and stagnant water. Farmers there report that galamsey has ravaged their farms and contaminated local water sources, leaving them in hardship.
When approached by the news crew, some miners initially fled but returned to speak, expressing their struggles. Akosua Anto, a local miner, explained, “We need help. We women here have no other work. If I had another way to support my family, I wouldn’t be doing this. Our cocoa farms are ruined, and even finding clean drinking water is hard because our pipes are damaged. We need help.”
John Benuba, another miner, added, “Life here is tough. My brother broke his leg three months ago, but he’s still mining because we can’t afford to stop working.”
Despite government assurances, these firsthand accounts reveal the ongoing, widespread impact of galamsey in the region, with community members continuing to suffer from the destruction of their livelihoods and local resources.
“Life is difficult here as we don’t have any employment. If we don’t do galamsey, we might have to steal which is also not good. So if you want us to stop the galamsey, then you have to get us some employment to be able to feel,” Alhassan Abu, a galamseyer at Nyamebekyere, Amenfi Central said.
Akosua Serwaa, an illegal miner stated, “It will be difficult for me if I don’t do galamsey and my husband does galamsey so I have to support him. I have two children, but there is no job here. I have completed skill training but I have no one to help set me up that’s why I have also joined the galamsey.”
The illegal miners shared with Channel One News the things that would influence their votes in the December polls.
Akosua Serwaa, galamseyer at Nyamebekyere, Amenfi Central said, “Right now I don’t have any work and if this galamsey collapses, I wouldn’t get any job to do. Again the women do prostitution because of a lack of jobs and the road is also so bad that for pregnant women it’s difficult for them to be in cars. These are what I will look at to vote.
Akosua Anto said she would vote based on infrastructure, complaining about the poor nature of roads.
“What I will look at to vote is if they fix the poor state of the road for us because the road is bad. I had a difficult time when I had my last child because of the poor roads and I have even decided not to have a child again because of that.
“Right now my cocoa farm that I depend on for my livelihood has also been affected by disease, so it is out of hardship that we are doing this. So the government must come to our aid. If the government does not get our vote, then it’s because of the economic hardship it has brought on us. So the government must sit up before we vote it out,” John Benuba said.
#GhanaPolls2024
#ElectionBureau
#CitiVerify
